The limits of a writer's imagination: Can Characters Surpass Their Creators in Intelligence?

[2wordsperminute]

Ya'll stupid

*y'all

 

[TsumiHokiro]

Depends on this: what is "Smart"? Is it something that can be made better by plot armour, careful knowing of the scenario (you as the author) and having unlimited access to knowledge whereas you should not have? Or is it something else entirely? Depending on how you define Intelligence, you can either make your character as Smart or Intelligent as you desire, or you are limited to your own self. Therefore, this chick would say both. As people have defended their point before, they have adopted divergent concepts of Intelligences, and not even Science has an acceptable unique concept of Intelligence. How could this boring bird, a mere thinker of matters of no relevance, hope to know the truth?

 

[Shrimp_eater]

How could this boring bird, a mere thinker of matters of no relevance, hope to know the truth?

You're a bird, you should know the truth

 

[TsumiHokiro]

You're a bird, you should know the truth

You're a shrimp eater, you should know the truth.

 

[Shrimp_eater]

You're a shrimp eater, you should know the truth.

Shrimp eaters don't know the truth, they just eat shrimps.

 

[TsumiHokiro]

Shrimp eaters don't know the truth, they just eat shrimps.

And shrimps are truth sayers.

 

[Satansoul]

If you can't solve a math question and there is no answer to that question anywhere, the character you designed can't solve it either. (I hate math)

 

[Shrimp_eater]

And shrimps are truth sayers.

And very tasty too. Especially when fried in butter.

 

[Plantorsomething]

I've often heard the saying that a character can't be more intelligent than their creator, but is this really the case?
Reading some authors, I'm frequently amazed at how they've crafted certain characters, making me question this notion.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this.
Do you believe that a writer is limited by their own intelligence when creating characters, or can they indeed create a character who surpasses their own intellectual capabilities? Can a character be smarter than their author?

Processing speed, and foresight of the plot are the biggest intelligence hacks I can think of

 

[Deleted member 84247]

If you can't solve a math question and there is no answer to that question anywhere, the character you designed can't solve it either. (I hate math)

No, but you can pretend that they solved it. This would be an instance where you tell the reader they solved it.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Yes, but only by one standard deviation.

Intelligence is rated based on ability, skill, and speed. If you take as long as you need, you can appear about 15 IQ points smarter.

You're a bird, you should know the truth

The bird is the word?

 

[Nexus_English]

*y'all

I was waiting for someone to correct it...

 

[Satansoul]

No, but you can pretend that they solved it. This would be an instance where you tell the reader they solved it.

Yes, you can even say that a character who is a primitive man makes a nuclear bomb. But this in no way makes a character seem intelligent, what really inspires the character's intelligence to the reader is the process of solving the problem, not the result. For example, the main character of the manga "The Eminence in Shadow" easily solved all problems, but did the reader think he was smart? No, because all the results of his work were based on luck and there was actually no process to achieve them.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

Yes, you can even say that a character who is a primitive man makes a nuclear bomb. But this in no way makes a character seem intelligent, what really inspires the character's intelligence to the reader is the process of solving the problem, not the result. For example, the main character of the manga "The Eminence in Shadow" easily solved all problems, but did the reader think he was smart? No, because all the results of his work were based on luck and there was actually no process to achieve them.

You don't have to show the equation, though. I don't know if you saw Interstellar, but in it, Murph figures out an equation they were working on for years. She throws the papers in the air and says, "Ureka!" All of this shows us, the viewer, that she solved it. You can do the same with a story. Have them work on the equation, and show the results of their efforts. That would make them more intelligent than you.

 

[Satansoul]

You don't have to show the equation, though. I don't know if you saw Interstellar, but in it, Murph figures out an equation they were working on for years. She throws the papers in the air and says, "Ureka!" All of this shows us, the viewer, that she solved it. You can do the same with a story. Have them work on the equation, and show the results of their efforts. That would make them more intelligent than you.

Um ok, you convinced me, I will change my vote to yes.?️

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

Frankly, while to some degree I understand the question, I also don't get why that's even a question. Unless you specify it more, the answer will obviously be yes, it's just that it's not necessary to show their thought process.

To actually prove someone's character is smarter than the author is arguably impossible, but so long as we don't go into rigorous definitions of intelligence or any related qualities and their detailed analysis, it's fairly easy to write such a character. I think a better question here is, can someone describe the thought process of a character smarter than them, and that's either impossible or extremely simple depending what it means to describe a thought process. It's not really possible to give a single definite answer there.

Though frankly, I'd personally say there's some baseline level of intelligence required to write about a character smarter than the author, but it's a very low bar. Just understanding they're actually smarter and doing a bit of research to make up for the difference should bridge the gap. The end result will of course depend on the writing skills, but that's another matter.

That's what I think too. But often, I read in comments or reviews, "a character can be intelligent only up to the level of their author," and this statement always sounded off to me. So, I wanted to hear different viewpoints from my own, which so far confirm what I already thought.

Ya'll stupid

Good morning, my lady. Did you have a bad day? Yeah, it's Monday. Would you mind elaborating further?

Bruh.

Bruh me more!

 

[AstreiaNyx]

Yes, by far. My characters don’t have the luxury of using google unlike I do.

 

[Deleted member 76176]

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

I like this guy, thank you for sharing the video. I'll take a look at it.

 

[LuoirM]

Here's something I wrote

Pearl was far most the busy one, managing the team's economy, negotiating with the most genuine business smile he could squeeze out, planning and making sure there's money for consumables, rations, night stays and pocket money.

And guess what, I don't know any of that, I never do business, I never do accounting, I never plan the economy of a team before. But I can convince ppl that my character can